Poll: 70% of Israelis want Netanyahu removed from power

Some 70 per cent of Israelis want to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power and hold elections, a poll conducted by the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation has shown.

On Monday, Israel’s Channel 12 quoted an Israeli official working on the Israeli hostage issue, saying that a deal to return the hostages cannot be reached under the current government.

A number of ministers in Netanyahu’s government oppose engaging in prisoner exchange negotiations with Hamas, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who demand the complete occupation of the Gaza Strip, the complete elimination of Hamas, and the displacement of Palestinians from the Strip.

Prisoner exchange negotiations will resume next week in Qatar, where the delegations from Hamas and Israel will travel to Doha to present their views on the truce proposal. However, it is unlikely that a deal can be agreed as a result of the recent escalation in attacks on civilians in Gaza by occupation forces.